► New 2018 Suzuki Jimny► First official pics, details► On sale in UK early 2019

Suzuki has made its mini 4x4 even tougher - with a new pick-up concept and an Armageddon-spec tough-nut 4x4, ready to be shown at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon tuning expo opening on 11 January.

The Suzuki Sierra Pickup Style is an urban pick-up aimed at lifestyle punters who want the space to sling DIY material or sports kit in the loadbed. Notice the wood-effect body panelling and retro front grille inspired by earlier Jimnys.

Meanwhile, the Suzuki Jimny Survive is the ultimate survival Jimny - equipped with toughened skid plates, a raised ride height, ultra-gripper off-road tyres and a rollcage that doubles as a roofrack.

Suzuki Jimny SUV: everything you need to know

The new 2019 Suzuki Jimny off-roader promises to be the toughest small SUV on sale and now we've pored all over it and driven it, we can confirm this is the case: it's a tough little brute of a 4x4, as you'll see in our video below. The Jimny is a veritable Tonka toy made real, with delightfully simple styling and a no-nonsense, upright aesthetic bound to please buyers bored of contrived, try-hard European design.

It won't arrive in UK dealerships before January 2019 and Suzuki UK has yet to confirm prices. However, we understand it'll likely cost from around £18,000 and the company is taking registrations of interest now. We'll update this story as soon as we have full prices and costs.

The new 2019 Suzuki Jimny is underpinned by a ladder frame chassis for proper 4x4 creds. Combined with the low-range transfer box, this gives the Jimny the toughest off-roading equipment this side of a Land Rover or Mercedes G-class. The approach angle of 37deg, ramp breakover of 28deg and departure angle of 49deg show it's got the bite to match its bark.

Suspension is taken care of by coil springs at both ends and the three-link rigid rear axle is designed for hard-core off-roading duties, according to Suzuki. AllGrip Pro is the latest name for the software governing the drive to all four wheels (which are 15-inch alloys).

Personalisation, trims and specs

The new 2019 Suzuki Jimny also offers the latest trend of more personalisation, so that owners can make their Jimny stand out from the crowd. Choose from two-tone paintwork or solid colours, as shown in our gallery:

Inside the new Jimny lies a no-nonsense cabin with familiar bits snaffled from the house parts bin. It's not the classiest interior but has a certain stripped-back charm - Suzuki says it's 'humble yet handsome' and designed to work in a no-nonsense fashion, even if drivers are wearing gloves in the middle of winter. A seven-inch touchscreen is available.

This is not a big car: use it as a four-seater, and passengers in the back will find a cramped cabin. Moreover, the boot space stands at a paltry 85 litres in this mode. Suzuki quotes a more reasonable 377-litre bootspace (up 53 from its predecessor) with the rear seats folded down. Yes, they assume you might use the Jimny as a two-seater!

One neat touch is the wipe-clean plastic shrouding the boot, including - unusually - the backs of the rear seats, making this a more practical daily driver.

The spare wheel is mounted on the perpendicular tailgate (the car is too short to store it anywhere else) and there's more than a whiff of junior Merc G-class to its styling. Check out the cheekily asymmetric aerial, too.

Revealed at the Paris motor show

The car is due to be shown at the 2018 Paris motor show in October. It's a diminutive off-roader, said to stretch just 3.6m long - so it's a three-door only.

The new Jimny is based around an all-new, rugged ladder-frame chassis (below), designed to protect the Jimny's reputation as a mountain goat, capable of going places other SUVs fear to tread. We've off-roaded in the outgoing Jimny and can vouch for its go-anywhere talents.

A low-range transfer box should make scrabbling up steep inclines a doddle - and the projected light kerbweight will help progress across muddy or marshy terrain.

UK sales are due to begin in January 2019, with prices here tipped to inch up from today's £12,000. It's a popular model in Great Britain, where dealers sell around 1100 a year to a loyal Suzuki fanbase.

There are still around 100 left in the UK dealer network, so if you fancy snapping one up, hurry!

A quick Suzuki Jimny history lesson

This is the fourth generation of the Jimny family; incredibly, the outgoing model has been on sale little changed for two decades.

Suzuki has sold 2.85 million of them in 194 countries worldwide since launch in April 1970, proving that a rough 'n' tumble, back-to-basics 4x4 has enduring appeal.

More information on the 2019 Suzuki Jimny as and when we get it. Are you a fan? Be sure to comment below and tell us what you think!